Ongewenste gasten : Joodse vluchtelingen en migranten in de dertiger jaren in België

During the period 1933-38, ca. 10,000 refugees entered Belgium from Germany, most of them Jews. 5,000 of them were granted political asylum in other countries. Less than 1,000 were officially accepted in Belgium. From the spring of 1938, following the Anschluss in Austria, until the summer of 1939, ca. 24,000 more Jewish refugees entered Belgium from Germany, among them 250 from the ship "St. Louis". The first refugee camp was opened in 1938. In 1939, the Belgian government decided not to accept any more refugees, mainly to counter the growing antisemitism in Belgium due to a belief that the Jews were forcing a confrontation with Germany at a time when the Belgians wished to remain neutral in the international conflict. In 1940, refugees became "outlaws"; they were transported to internment camps in France. Most of them ended up in Auschwitz. Includes bibliographical references (pages 295-303). 303 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm